Even though Mizuto often said that Yuu's house was nearby, he needed to walk for a while to walk to her house. Moreover, if there was something special about her house other than being a bookstore, it was located near Kyoto University.
Probably, it was also for this reason that her family's bookstore didn't lack a customer. It wasn't much, though, considering how many started to choose the digital, but as expected, for those who loved to read a book, there was nothing better than the paper.
Meanwhile, his house was located in an affluent area of Kyoto, but it wasn't like his father was rich. It was just that his great-grandfather was rich, and his great-grandfather was lucky that he got land in that area, which was then inherited by his father.
If Mizuto had to be so detailed, the location of his house was on the V-area or the Kamo River Delta, on the land surrounded by the Kamo River and the Takano River.
It was also because of this that he didn't feel afraid even if Yuu held his hand, though he had to say this girl was bold. Yet, when he thought about what they did previously, he felt like this was nothing.
Still, Yuu also realized that she had been holding his hand, and she wasn't sure whether she should let go of this hand or not. Still, why did she feel like her hand was sweaty? Was she nervous? If so, then why? He was her friend, and why should she feel this strange emotion even though what they did was just holding hands?
Whether it was sleeping on the same bed or kissing each other, they had done all of that.
Yet, how could a simple holding hand make her feel like this?
"Yuu."
"Wh-What?"
"Where do you want to bring me?"
"...isn't it you who ask me to go out?" Yuu somehow calmed down when he asked her this question, so she looked at him speechlessly.
"Well, I just ask you to go out on a whim, but if you leave the decision to me, do you want to go to the Kamo River?"
"Sure." Yuu easily agreed, but somehow she could see that he was staring at her so suddenly. "Wh-What is it?"
"You should learn how to refuse someone, Yuu."
Yuu's lips twitched, and she complained. "You should also learn how not to be forceful with someone."
"But you don't hate it, right?"
Watching his teasing smile, Yuu threw his hand away and walked toward the Kamo River by himself.
"Hey, Yuu, don't get angry! I was just kidding!"
Yuu sighed, then said, "Come on. Don't be so slow!"
"Okay, okay."
As the two walked, they didn't hold each other's hands and just walked casually, but Yuu felt slightly at loss as she saw his hand.
Still, as they walked, they somehow passed through the path where he usually used to jog, which made Yuu smile. "I met you here."
"Huh? Really?"
"Well, I just saw you running in the morning when we didn't know each other back then."
They were coming from different middle schools, and they only knew each other in their third year of middle school when he came to visit her bookstore, so he didn't know that she had seen him before as she had also never told him this story before.
"I thought that you were someone from a sports club or something."
"I am not. Even if my body is like this, I am the intellectual type."
"...is that something you should say by yourselves?"
"I am just stating the fact."
"...I can't deny it."
As they were so close, Yuu could see how exceptional his body was. His long legs were in perfect shape, his forearms were strong, and from the top and bottom, everything about him screamed manliness, yet somehow, there was something warm about him, especially when you got close enough.
He was definitely different from the standard handsomeness of men in this country, which was frail beauty, but there was no need for him to follow the standard that was given by the majority.
Instead, probably due to his existence, the standard of the handsomeness of the people in this country might change as they followed him.
It wasn't him who followed others, but it was he who was being followed.
Even now, she could see many people occasionally glance at him, which made her helpless.
"You sure are popular."
"That's old news, right?"
"How many girls have confessed to you after your admission?"
"I have lost the count after ten."
"...."
Yuu's lips twitched and said, "At least you should remember them, okay?" She felt that he was a little cold, which made her feel sorry for those girls who had confessed to him.
"What can I do? I don't have an interest in them, after all."
"But if you are like this, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to find anyone to be by your side in the future? You might stay alone in the future, you know?"
Mizuto then stopped and stared at Yuu in silence.
"What is it again?"
Unlike before, Yuu wasn't nervous by his gaze, but she had to say, this guy was so dangerously handsome that it wasn't good for her heart.
"Do you want me to get a girlfriend?"
"..."
Yuu didn't know what to say. She fell into silence and was in a daze, feeling her chest so stuffy as she imagined that he would be with a girl that she didn't know, talking, flirting, kissing, then having sex.
Still, somehow, she was able to regain her calm, took a deep breath, then asked, "Have you fallen in love with someone?"
"No."
Strangely enough, her heart was at ease when she heard his answer.
"How about you? Have you fallen in love with someone?"
Yuu was surprised by his question, but she thought for a moment before she shook her head. "No. I am not sure whether I can feel it."
"Is that so? There is nothing to be in a hurry anyway."
"You say that so easily."
"It isn't like love is everything anyway."
"Besides love, what is there?"
"Hmm... a dream, ambition, a hobby, many other things. There are many things that you might not be able to count."
Yuu was stunned, hearing his answer, then asked, "Then, what is your dream, Mizuto?"
As they spoke, unexpectedly, they arrived on the riverside of the Kamo River.
Mizuto had been here many times, but it would be his first time to be here with Yuu. As expected, there were many people, from children playing on the shallow water, a wannabe artist singing an original song, and some couples who sat on the riverside as they flirted.
There were many people in this place.
Mizuto took a flat stone and then threw it into the river in a sidearm motion.
The flat stone bounced so many times that Yuu was dumbfounded by how far his stone skipping was.
"77, 78..."
It wasn't until it reached 88 that the stone fell into the river.
"88!"
"Onii-chan, you are so amazing!"
"How did you do it?"
When Yuu was about to say something, she realized that Mizuto was surrounded by many children who admired his skill. Nevertheless, she could see that many of them were female, showing that even a little girl knew that a handsome man was a rare commodity, which made her helpless.
Fortunately, with his skill, Mizuto could get away from the group and walk away with Yuu.
"But 88, huh? Isn't that the same record as the world record?"
Mizuto looked at Yuu in doubt. "Really?"
"Um." Yuu nodded and showed her smartphone. "When you were surrounded by children, I searched for it on Google."
As expected, on the Wiki, the world record for stone skipping was 88, and the holder was Kurt Steiner (stone skipper).
"If you work harder, you should be able to beat the world record."
"Let Kurt take his world record. I am not interested in that title."
If Mizuto wished to, he could become as great as Great Khan; there was no need for him to be fixated on the title of the best stone skipper.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Become a great man like Alexander, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte."
Yuu was speechless, then said, "They have conquered the world, but as the world is peaceful, it is impossible for you to do that, right?"
"That's true." Mizuto nodded since he knew that the world was peaceful unless a certain problem happened. "Then, I will probably conquer space?"
"..." Yuu.
"I was joking, but I wanted to do something that would make my name remembered by future generations."
"If you can't do that?"
"Well, it doesn't matter either."
"That's kind of irresponsible."
"That's true, but at least I have tried, and during that process, I might find something important."
"Important? What kind?"
"I am not sure, but that's what is interesting about the future, right?"
"It's kind of scary, though."
Without knowing anything, completely in the dark, if it was her, Yuu knew that she would be afraid.
"Then, what you need is to find someone to lead you, right?"
"Lead?"
"Not everyone can be like me, and everyone is different. Knowing what you want in life is the most important thing instead of forcing yourselves like others."
"...even if it's wrong?"
"There is nothing right or wrong in life. We're just trying to live. If there is someone who says that you are wrong, then tell me, I will beat them up."
"Don't always solve a trouble with violence."
"Then, will I end their social life?"
"...that isn't good either."
"I never thought of becoming a good person anyway, so it doesn't matter." However, suddenly, the hem of his t-shirt was grabbed. "Yuu?"
"I don't think you are bad. I think of you preciously."
Yuu had never thought of him as a bad person. While it was true that he was kind of individualistic and selfish, he definitely wasn't someone bad. As someone who had known him for quite a while, she had affirmed that.
Yet, suddenly, he fell into silence and just stared at her.
Strangely enough, she didn't look away from him and just locked her gaze against his.
He moved slowly, gently, affirming her willingness, and then kissed her lips.
She didn't push him, rested her small hands against his chest, and let him do whatever he wished with her lips.
It might be because it had been a while, or they might have expected this, but neither of them talked and just kissed as long as they could in the quiet alley on the way to her home.
It wasn't until she lost her breath that they parted, but when she lowered her head shyly, she noticed the bulge on his pants due to his erection. Even worse, he was wearing stretch jogger pants, and his erection was even more noticeable.
"This-This..."
"Sorry."
"No-No! It's okay." Still, she looked at him and asked, "So, you feel like that toward me?"
"What are you saying? Isn't that normal? You are a cute girl, after all."
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"I have heard that it will calm down after a while, right?"
"Yeah, only in the manga said that it wouldn't calm down until it was handled well."
"...what did you mean by handled well."
"Anyway, you don't need to worry."
Even so...
Yuu wondered whether, in the future, they would do something more than kissing, but—
"Let's go back. I will send you home."
"Um."
Everything depended on him whether he would take the initiative.
Yet, somehow, if he really asked her, she felt like... she might not be able to reject him.
Knowing this made her sigh, wondering whether she was such an easy girl.
Still, his large hand felt so comfortable to hold.
"What's wrong?"
"No-Nothing."
"How suspicious. Did you think something perverted?"
"I am not you!"
However, even if his erection was subdued and confirmed his theory that his erection would calm down after a while, she could still see his big bulge before she looked away since she wasn't a pervert!
Even though Mizuto often said that Yuu's house was nearby, he needed to walk for a while to walk to her house. Moreover, if there was something special about her house other than being a bookstore, it was located near Kyoto University.
Probably, it was also for this reason that her family's bookstore didn't lack a customer. It wasn't much, though, considering how many started to choose the digital, but as expected, for those who loved to read a book, there was nothing better than the paper.
Meanwhile, his house was located in an affluent area of Kyoto, but it wasn't like his father was rich. It was just that his great-grandfather was rich, and his great-grandfather was lucky that he got land in that area, which was then inherited by his father.
If Mizuto had to be so detailed, the location of his house was on the V-area or the Kamo River Delta, on the land surrounded by the Kamo River and the Takano River.
It was also because of this that he didn't feel afraid even if Yuu held his hand, though he had to say this girl was bold. Yet, when he thought about what they did previously, he felt like this was nothing.
Still, Yuu also realized that she had been holding his hand, and she wasn't sure whether she should let go of this hand or not. Still, why did she feel like her hand was sweaty? Was she nervous? If so, then why? He was her friend, and why should she feel this strange emotion even though what they did was just holding hands?
Whether it was sleeping on the same bed or kissing each other, they had done all of that.
Yet, how could a simple holding hand make her feel like this?
"Yuu."
"Wh-What?"
"Where do you want to bring me?"
"...isn't it you who ask me to go out?" Yuu somehow calmed down when he asked her this question, so she looked at him speechlessly.
"Well, I just ask you to go out on a whim, but if you leave the decision to me, do you want to go to the Kamo River?"
"Sure." Yuu easily agreed, but somehow she could see that he was staring at her so suddenly. "Wh-What is it?"
"You should learn how to refuse someone, Yuu."
Yuu's lips twitched, and she complained. "You should also learn how not to be forceful with someone."
"But you don't hate it, right?"
Watching his teasing smile, Yuu threw his hand away and walked toward the Kamo River by himself.
"Hey, Yuu, don't get angry! I was just kidding!"
Yuu sighed, then said, "Come on. Don't be so slow!"
"Okay, okay."
As the two walked, they didn't hold each other's hands and just walked casually, but Yuu felt slightly at loss as she saw his hand.
Still, as they walked, they somehow passed through the path where he usually used to jog, which made Yuu smile. "I met you here."
"Huh? Really?"
"Well, I just saw you running in the morning when we didn't know each other back then."
They were coming from different middle schools, and they only knew each other in their third year of middle school when he came to visit her bookstore, so he didn't know that she had seen him before as she had also never told him this story before.
"I thought that you were someone from a sports club or something."
"I am not. Even if my body is like this, I am the intellectual type."
"...is that something you should say by yourselves?"
"I am just stating the fact."
"...I can't deny it."
As they were so close, Yuu could see how exceptional his body was. His long legs were in perfect shape, his forearms were strong, and from the top and bottom, everything about him screamed manliness, yet somehow, there was something warm about him, especially when you got close enough.
He was definitely different from the standard handsomeness of men in this country, which was frail beauty, but there was no need for him to follow the standard that was given by the majority.
Instead, probably due to his existence, the standard of the handsomeness of the people in this country might change as they followed him.
It wasn't him who followed others, but it was he who was being followed.
Even now, she could see many people occasionally glance at him, which made her helpless.
"You sure are popular."
"That's old news, right?"
"How many girls have confessed to you after your admission?"
"I have lost the count after ten."
"...."
Yuu's lips twitched and said, "At least you should remember them, okay?" She felt that he was a little cold, which made her feel sorry for those girls who had confessed to him.
"What can I do? I don't have an interest in them, after all."
"But if you are like this, aren't you afraid that you won't be able to find anyone to be by your side in the future? You might stay alone in the future, you know?"
Mizuto then stopped and stared at Yuu in silence.
"What is it again?"
Unlike before, Yuu wasn't nervous by his gaze, but she had to say, this guy was so dangerously handsome that it wasn't good for her heart.
"Do you want me to get a girlfriend?"
"..."
Yuu didn't know what to say. She fell into silence and was in a daze, feeling her chest so stuffy as she imagined that he would be with a girl that she didn't know, talking, flirting, kissing, then having sex.
Still, somehow, she was able to regain her calm, took a deep breath, then asked, "Have you fallen in love with someone?"
"No."
Strangely enough, her heart was at ease when she heard his answer.
"How about you? Have you fallen in love with someone?"
Yuu was surprised by his question, but she thought for a moment before she shook her head. "No. I am not sure whether I can feel it."
"Is that so? There is nothing to be in a hurry anyway."
"You say that so easily."
"It isn't like love is everything anyway."
"Besides love, what is there?"
"Hmm... a dream, ambition, a hobby, many other things. There are many things that you might not be able to count."
Yuu was stunned, hearing his answer, then asked, "Then, what is your dream, Mizuto?"
As they spoke, unexpectedly, they arrived on the riverside of the Kamo River.
Mizuto had been here many times, but it would be his first time to be here with Yuu. As expected, there were many people, from children playing on the shallow water, a wannabe artist singing an original song, and some couples who sat on the riverside as they flirted.
There were many people in this place.
Mizuto took a flat stone and then threw it into the river in a sidearm motion.
The flat stone bounced so many times that Yuu was dumbfounded by how far his stone skipping was.
"77, 78..."
It wasn't until it reached 88 that the stone fell into the river.
"88!"
"Onii-chan, you are so amazing!"
"How did you do it?"
When Yuu was about to say something, she realized that Mizuto was surrounded by many children who admired his skill. Nevertheless, she could see that many of them were female, showing that even a little girl knew that a handsome man was a rare commodity, which made her helpless.
Fortunately, with his skill, Mizuto could get away from the group and walk away with Yuu.
"But 88, huh? Isn't that the same record as the world record?"
Mizuto looked at Yuu in doubt. "Really?"
"Um." Yuu nodded and showed her smartphone. "When you were surrounded by children, I searched for it on Google."
As expected, on the Wiki, the world record for stone skipping was 88, and the holder was Kurt Steiner (stone skipper).
"If you work harder, you should be able to beat the world record."
"Let Kurt take his world record. I am not interested in that title."
If Mizuto wished to, he could become as great as Great Khan; there was no need for him to be fixated on the title of the best stone skipper.
"So, what do you want to do?"
"Become a great man like Alexander, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, and Napoleon Bonaparte."
Yuu was speechless, then said, "They have conquered the world, but as the world is peaceful, it is impossible for you to do that, right?"
"That's true." Mizuto nodded since he knew that the world was peaceful unless a certain problem happened. "Then, I will probably conquer space?"
"..." Yuu.
"I was joking, but I wanted to do something that would make my name remembered by future generations."
"If you can't do that?"
"Well, it doesn't matter either."
"That's kind of irresponsible."
"That's true, but at least I have tried, and during that process, I might find something important."
"Important? What kind?"
"I am not sure, but that's what is interesting about the future, right?"
"It's kind of scary, though."
Without knowing anything, completely in the dark, if it was her, Yuu knew that she would be afraid.
"Then, what you need is to find someone to lead you, right?"
"Lead?"
"Not everyone can be like me, and everyone is different. Knowing what you want in life is the most important thing instead of forcing yourselves like others."
"...even if it's wrong?"
"There is nothing right or wrong in life. We're just trying to live. If there is someone who says that you are wrong, then tell me, I will beat them up."
"Don't always solve a trouble with violence."
"Then, will I end their social life?"
"...that isn't good either."
"I never thought of becoming a good person anyway, so it doesn't matter." However, suddenly, the hem of his t-shirt was grabbed. "Yuu?"
"I don't think you are bad. I think of you preciously."
Yuu had never thought of him as a bad person. While it was true that he was kind of individualistic and selfish, he definitely wasn't someone bad. As someone who had known him for quite a while, she had affirmed that.
Yet, suddenly, he fell into silence and just stared at her.
Strangely enough, she didn't look away from him and just locked her gaze against his.
He moved slowly, gently, affirming her willingness, and then kissed her lips.
She didn't push him, rested her small hands against his chest, and let him do whatever he wished with her lips.
It might be because it had been a while, or they might have expected this, but neither of them talked and just kissed as long as they could in the quiet alley on the way to her home.
It wasn't until she lost her breath that they parted, but when she lowered her head shyly, she noticed the bulge on his pants due to his erection. Even worse, he was wearing stretch jogger pants, and his erection was even more noticeable.
"This-This..."
"Sorry."
"No-No! It's okay." Still, she looked at him and asked, "So, you feel like that toward me?"
"What are you saying? Isn't that normal? You are a cute girl, after all."
"Hmm..."
"What is it?"
"I have heard that it will calm down after a while, right?"
"Yeah, only in the manga said that it wouldn't calm down until it was handled well."
"...what did you mean by handled well."
"Anyway, you don't need to worry."
Even so...
Yuu wondered whether, in the future, they would do something more than kissing, but—
"Let's go back. I will send you home."
"Um."
Everything depended on him whether he would take the initiative.
Yet, somehow, if he really asked her, she felt like... she might not be able to reject him.
Knowing this made her sigh, wondering whether she was such an easy girl.
Still, his large hand felt so comfortable to hold.
"What's wrong?"
"No-Nothing."
"How suspicious. Did you think something perverted?"
"I am not you!"
However, even if his erection was subdued and confirmed his theory that his erection would calm down after a while, she could still see his big bulge before she looked away since she wasn't a pervert!
